Latasinha's Weblog

Encourage woman to join mainstrem

Government’s intervention in economic, political and social life in the last century has improved living conditions of women. Now twenty first century has brought new hopes for women. Gradual and greater awareness, freedom, equality, access to education and employment made them confident. They now question stereo type assumptions that so far have gone with womenhood.

Women in Western world enjoy more privileges in matters of employment, freedom, liberty & equality than women of eastern world. History, laws and cultures of complex and sophisticated Asian societies are to a great extent responsible for slow progress in Asian countries.

Women represent a vast reservoir of human resource, which is yet to be tapped and utilized fully. Women population is about 50% of total population. Women have diverse capabilities and they would be of valuable service, if given proper opportunities in various nation-building activities. Sustainable development of any nation depends much on equal participation of its womenfolk in planning and implementation of developmental tasks/nation building activities. They are both entitled to and responsible for contributing to national development. 

Deep thinking of authorities, national determination and political will are needed to assess women’s properly problem-areas and to remove hurdles lying on their way to join the mainstream. It necessitates to tone up social, legal, political and economic systems. It involves social mobilization and transformation of outdated social values. All this has to be done very carefully, so that not only women, but also the whole society and nation could be benefitted.

The biggest hurdle on the way of a woman to join mainstream arises due to her familial responsibilities, which includes taking care of small children, so that they can become confident and responsible citizens. Working outside home overburdens women and increases their difficulties in balancing tasks at work-place and at home. In dual worker families with dependent children, concerns can range from sheer logistic problems associated with providing proper child-care to emotional challenges tied to not being there, when they are growing.

Attention of authorities and concerned people is required on following measures for enhancing women’s self-esteem and their active participation in nation building: –

• Make women enlightened, capable to understand their rights and duties and take independently their own decisions. It necessitates providing a good and congenial atmosphere for development of their personalities at home.

• Educate all women in order to inculcate in them scientific temper and confidence and courage to fight against evil social practices. Benefit of Open University and distance education programs could be taken for this purpose.

• Inculcate in them knowledge, attitude, work-habits and skills through professional education, training and refresher courses.

• Create awareness amongst them about already existing and new opportunities available to them,

• Impart special training to women to create groups of skilled women,

• Women themselves need to set their priorities properly for fulfilling their dreams.

• Inspire women to join mainstream by providing to them enough job-opportunities and give them suitable atmosphere at work-place.

• Government should open up the gates of employment for them by relaxing age-limit to join services in organized sector..

• Arrange for them enough short term refresher training and coaching programs in order to fill in the gap incurred in their career due to familial liabilities,

• Provide more and more job oriented vocational courses,

• Promote enterpreneureship among women,

• Facilitate credit by providing financial assistance,

• Create gender sensitization,

• Create awareness about the legal infrastructure of the nation, especially the special legal measures to protect them from atrocities and exploitation, and

• Create supportive infrastructure for working women to enhance their confidence and ensure their security.

On the grounds of deprivation and under-representation, no other section of society deserves Reservation more than women. If women can be expected to progress on their own, and no concession can be given to them, then why men of SCs, STs or OBCs should be provided quota in employment and education? If for any reason or rhyme, government can not give reservation benefit to women, then it should abolish altogether this discriminatory policy of reservation. The need of special attention in case of women arises not because they are intellectually inferior to men, but because they miss many opportunities, when some creative and crucial years of their life are spent in serving humanity and the nation by taking care of the future generation, cultivating in them positive qualities, which once imbibed, inevitably become part of their nature and provide guidelines for their wholesome behavior pattern. For their valuable contribution to the society and the nation, if they could not be rewarded, then at least, they should not be punished.

November 6, 2008 - Posted by latasinha | Women's issues | Empower women